Venus and Serena Williams Help ESPN Reach Best US Open Audience Since 2022
For a moment, it appeared that Venus and Serena Williams were on their way to a straightforward finish.
The sisters jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the deciding match tiebreak, putting them within striking distance of victory. But the momentum quickly shifted. Point after point went to their opponents, and what looked like a comfortable ending suddenly became a dramatic comeback.
After more than three hours of action, the Williams sisters’ return ended in disappointment. Ten of the next 12 points went against them, leaving the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd stunned.
The fans had clearly hoped the Williams sisters’ US Open comeback would last a little longer. Now, the enormous interest surrounding their appearance is being reflected in the television ratings as well.
ESPN Enjoys Major Ratings Boost
ESPN PR revealed Thursday that its exclusive live coverage of the US Open has produced its strongest viewership numbers at this point in the tournament since 2022.
Through the completion of the third round on Sept. 5, ESPN’s coverage averaged 846,000 viewers, representing a 5% increase from the same point in 2025. It is also ESPN’s best average through the third round since 2022.
The third round itself performed even better, averaging 1.1 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2. That represented a 27% improvement compared with the previous year.
The increased audience was evident throughout the tournament’s sixth and seventh days.
Friday’s coverage averaged 1.1 million viewers across the two networks, up 17% from 2025. Saturday’s ESPN2 coverage reached the same 1.1 million average, marking a 37% year-over-year increase.
Saturday’s daytime audience on ESPN2 rose 31%, while the prime-time audience jumped 43%.
Williams Sisters Become a Major TV Draw
The biggest connection between the ratings surge and the tournament’s star power may have come Friday night.
The doubles match featuring Venus and Serena Williams averaged 1.2 million viewers. The audience peaked at 2.2 million viewers between 10 and 10:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
Although the Williams sisters ultimately fell to No. 14 seeds Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint in three sets, the match had already established itself as one of the tournament’s most-watched events.
The significance of the ratings becomes even clearer when compared with 2022. Venus and Serena had not played doubles together at a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open, which was also where Serena played her final match before eventually returning to competition in 2026.
Their comeback has therefore helped bring ESPN’s US Open audience back toward the levels seen four years ago.
And the match offered much more than a nostalgic reunion.
The sisters trailed 1-4 in the deciding set but battled back to force a match tiebreak. They then built a 5-0 lead before Chan and Joint mounted their own comeback.
Joint later expressed her disbelief at the experience, acknowledging how difficult it was to comprehend beating players she had grown up admiring.
Unusual Crowd Turns Doubles Match Into Major Event
The atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe was also remarkable for what was technically a first-round doubles match.
The USTA reported attendance of approximately 24,000, while Reuters put the figure at around 23,000. Regardless of the exact number, the turnout was extraordinary.
Doubles matches generally do not receive a spot inside Arthur Ashe Stadium during the tournament’s opening week. The Williams sisters’ return, however, was significant enough for organizers to make an exception.
Their appearance demonstrated the enormous cultural appeal that the sisters continue to have, even beyond the traditional tennis audience.
US Open Looks to Build Its Audience Beyond the Williams Sisters
The tournament is also trying to find other ways to attract new fans, including a larger emphasis on social media creators.
The USTA nearly doubled the number of creators it credentialed for the 2026 tournament, increasing the figure from 54 in 2025 to roughly 100 this year.
The goal is to reach audiences through the platforms and formats they already use, with creators covering not only tennis but also food, fashion and other aspects of the US Open experience.
However, that strategy has already generated some controversy.
During Naomi Osaka’s opening-round match against Anastasia Zakharova, a group in a hospitality suite reportedly created enough noise while filming that chair umpire Kader Nouni stopped play. Osaka later acknowledged that spectators were shouting and that the disruption could be clearly heard.
The people responsible were not USTA-credentialed content creators, something the organization later clarified.
Two other creators, Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, also lost access after sharing images of their credentials. The USTA said their credentials had been improperly requested through a staff list supplied by a food vendor.
Balancing Content Creation With the Tennis Experience
The incidents have prompted the US Open to reinforce rules that many longtime tennis spectators already understand.
The USTA now specifically reminds fans to avoid flash photography and ring lights during points, remain seated when a player is serving within their line of sight and keep noise to a minimum while play is underway.
That creates a delicate balance for the tournament.
The US Open wants social media creators to introduce tennis to new audiences and make the event more accessible beyond the stadium. At the same time, content creation cannot interfere with the competition itself.
For now, the return of Venus and Serena Williams has provided perhaps the clearest demonstration of the sport’s ability to generate massive attention. Their presence alone helped turn a doubles match into a prime-time television attraction—and showed that sometimes the strongest way to grow an audience is simply to put iconic players back on the court.
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